Norway: First Muslim-Christian gay marriage

Norway: First Muslim-Christian gay marriage

Netherlands: PVV proposes to count 3rd generation immigrants as immigrants

Netherlands: PVV proposes to count 3rd generation immigrants as immigrants

Via Trouw (Dutch):

The PVV party asked Piet Hein Donner, the Dutch minister of internal affairs, to consider grandchildren of immigrants as immigrants as well. PPV parliamentarian Joram van Klaveren says this is necessary in order to follow up on the progress of their integration. "Non-Western immigrants are still overrepresented in the crime statistics. Soon we won't see that anymore, since they'll be considred ethnic Dutch."

Today children are considered 'ethnic Dutch' if both parents were born in the Netherlands. The PVV says that 3rd generation immigrants cause specific problems in society and should be followed up on. Currently 80% of 3rd generation immigrants are younger than ten.

Prague: Central European Muslim leaders lament restrictive legislation, media bias

Prague: Central European Muslim leaders lament restrictive legislation, media bias

Via Radio Prague:

Muslim leaders from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia came to Prague on Tuesday to share their experiences and to discuss the challenges faced by their communities. The numbers of the Muslim populations in their countries vary significantly, as do their historic backgrounds. But the debate showed that some challenges are shared by Muslims across the region: islamophobia, media bias, and severe legislative restrictions.

(source + podcast)

Netherlands: Interior minister argues for burka ban

Netherlands: Interior minister argues for burka ban

Via RNW:

"You can't walk down the street naked either. That is the result of our norms about decent behaviour. The Netherlands also has norms which make it advisable to ban clothing which covers your face."

Interior Minister Piet-Hein Donner was speaking during a debate about his integration bill, which would introduce a ban on burkas. Not for security reasons but because "in our society you have to be able to see each other".

(source)

Italy: Moroccan murders wife in apparent 'honor murder'

Italy: Moroccan murders wife in apparent 'honor murder'

The AKI headline says she was murdered for being too Western, but even according to the article itself, what really bothered the husband, was the fact that she had a lover, and that everybody in the Moroccan community knew about it (IT).

France: Bank to offer Sharia-compatible accounts

France: Bank to offer Sharia-compatible accounts
Via Euro-Islam:

Chaabi Bank, a subsidiary of the Banque populaire du Maroc announced it would open the first accounts in France that are Sharia-compatible. It intends to propose mortgages under the same principles by the end of the year.

(source)

Netherlands: Parliament bans ritual slaughter

Netherlands: Parliament bans ritual slaughter

Austria: Muslim leader resigns for saying sport unhealthy for women

Austria: Muslim leader resigns for saying sport unhealthy for women

Via AP:

The vice president of Austria's Islamic community says he is resigning after local media quoted him as saying too much sport is unhealthy for women.

Ahmet Hamidi says he has been misquoted, but is stepping down to deflect possible criticism of the Islamic community.

Hamidi, a doctor of internal medicine, was quoted last week as telling a Vienna daily that "too much sport is not good for the female organism, this has been clearly proven."

He said Friday that he said only that extreme sports can have negative results for women, and that he offered that opinion as a doctor and not as a functionary of the Islamic community.

(source)

Belgium: Former politician blackmailed by Moroccan woman

Belgium: Former politician blackmailed by Moroccan woman

Germany: Interior minister urges Muslims to combat youth radicalization

Germany: Interior minister urges Muslims to combat youth radicalization

Via Deutsche Welle:

German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich urged the country's Muslim community on Friday to do more to prevent the spread of radicalization among its youth. He told Muslim leaders at a meeting in Berlin that families must act early to prevent young boys from turning into jihadists.

"Neither the security authorities nor ordinary Muslim citizens can do much to help," when youths radicalize, he said. "It is up to the parents and the rest of the family to be observant about what their children are up to and how they are changing."

Netherlands: Lawyers' union wants more minority lawyers

Netherlands: Lawyers' union wants more minority lawyers

Via DutchNews (h/t Turkish Digest):

The Dutch lawyers association Orde van Advocaten is taking steps to encourage more ethnic minority law students to actually become lawyers.

Even though law is a popular subject among Dutch students with a Moroccan or Turkish background, law firms have remained ‘white bastions’ the organisation says. Ethnic minority law graduates tend to work for the government or as legal aids.

(source)

Finland: Immigration policy to focus on security, sustainability

Finland: Immigration policy to focus on security, sustainability

Via YLE:

Immigration policy is to shift emphasis towards safeguarding security in society, says new Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen. She told YLE radio that immigration policy would now shift to officials in charge of policing.

“Immigration policy will respect basic human rights, but the other thread running through policy will be security and sustainability in society,” said the Christian Democrat. “How many immigrants we can integrate into society.”

The government programme outlines that family reunification policy would come into line with that in other Nordic countries. This is a much tougher standard. For example, migrants hoping to bring family members to Sweden now have to produce paperwork from the country of origin.

(source)

Milan: Islamic Fashion Festival to participate in Milan Fashion Week

Milan: Islamic Fashion Festival to participate in Milan Fashion Week

Via Bernama:

Six years after introducing and promoting Muslim couture fashion as a modern lifestyle trend in several eastern and western countries, the Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) is now preparing its fashion designers to show off its creations at one of world's most prestigious fashion modelling catwalk.

IFF, under the patronage of Malaysia's First Lady, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, has been invited to participate in the Milan Fashion Week in Italy and is giving its fashion designers ample lead time to be ready to meet the demand of the market when their works receive orders from the event.

(source)

Podcast: Islamophobia In Europe

Podcast: Islamophobia In Europe

Via the Council of Europe:

Former UK government adviser Sara Khan and Umeå University historian Mohammad Fazlhashemi join Council of Europe experts to share their views on the place and role of Islam in Europe and the fight against Islamophobia. They also discuss pressing controversies within Muslim communities, how to prevent radicalisation and reclaiming the religion from conservatives through critical re-thinking.

Podcast here.

Austria: New draft bill against hate preachers

Austria: New draft bill against hate preachers

Via the Austrian Times:

A new anti-terror draft bill presented by the People’s Party (ÖVP) has sparked mixed reactions among opposition factions.

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the ÖVP’s new interior minister, announced yesterday (Weds) she agreed with ÖVP Justice Minister Beatrix Karl that people who incite others to carry out terrorist acts should go to jail. The interior minister explained the new set of measures meant that someone who approved terror attacks in front of at least 30 people faces a prison term of two years from 2012. The current regulation mentions a group of 150 people as terror-backing people’s audience. Mikl-Leitner added that so-called "preachers of hate" and people who seek participants of terror camps would also go to jail if the bill got passed in the federal parliament.

(source)

Antwerp: Sharia police patrols against gays, girls in short skirts

Antwerp: Sharia police patrols against gays, girls in short skirts

Via HLN, Lacquemant:

On Sunday night, June 12th, a gay guy was attacked by North African youth in Brussels. The youth beat him and tried to choke him. According to Bruno De Lille (Greens), Secretary of State for equal opportunities in the Brussels Region, most homophobic attackers come from the Muslim community, and that those acts are not linked to religion, but rather to a macho culture. He said there are also East-European homophobic attackers, and that those who express sentiments against women, often do the same towards gays.

According to Carim Bouzian, a gay immigrant from Antwerp, the situation in Antwerp is not much better than Brussels. Gays are reprimanded by the Islamic 'morality police', a group of older men and radical youth who feel they must warn gays about their 'erroneous behavior'.

UK: Bill to ban Islamic courts from dealing with family and criminal law

UK: Bill to ban Islamic courts from dealing with family and criminal law

Via the Guardian:

Islamic courts would be forced to acknowledge the primacy of English law under a bill being introduced in the House of Lords.

The bill, proposed by Lady Cox and backed by women's rights groups and the National Secular Society, was drawn up because of "deep concerns" that Muslim women are suffering discrimination within closed sharia law councils.

The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill will introduce an offence carrying a five-year jail sentence for anyone falsely claiming or implying that sharia courts or councils have legal jurisdiction over family or criminal law. The bill, which will apply to all arbitration tribunals if passed, aims to tackle discrimination, which its supporters say is inherent in the courts, by banning the sharia practice of giving woman's testimony only half the weight of men's.

(source)

Bahrain: Swedish, Danish citizens jailed for plotting to overthrow rulers

Bahrain: Swedish, Danish citizens jailed for plotting to overthrow rulers

Via AFP:

A Bahrain court sentenced eight Shiite opposition activists to life in prison on Wednesday for "plotting to overthrow" the kingdom's Sunni rulers, nearly a week ahead of a national dialogue proposed by the king.

The National Safety Court of first instance also jailed 13 others for two to 15 years on similar charges, state news agency BNA added.

(source)

Netherlands: Lawmakers work out ritual slaughter ban compromise

Netherlands: Lawmakers work out ritual slaughter ban compromise

Via AP:

Dutch lawmakers are set to ban centuries-old Jewish and Muslim traditions of slaughtering animals, but agreed Wednesday to a last-minute compromise offering religious groups exemptions, if they can prove their method of killing livestock does not cause additional suffering.

Centrist lawmakers from several parties — worried that their backing for the ban will cost them votes from Muslim and Jewish supporters — hammered out the compromise shortly before a final debate on the legislation.

London: Art exhibition to showcase achievements of Muslim women

London: Art exhibition to showcase achievements of Muslim women

Via the BBC (h/t Euro-Islam):

An East London-based charity is seeking women to take part in an art exhibition showcasing the achievements of everyday Muslim women.

Participants will be photographed by award-winning photographer Liz Hingley, sit for portraits and record stories of their lives.

The idea came from conversations between young Muslim women and workers at the charity, Maslaha.

(source)

Netherlands: Geert Wilders acquitted in hate-speech trial (UPDATE: Wilders' response)

Netherlands: Geert Wilders acquitted in hate-speech trial

According to the judges, since Wilders specified he had nothing against Muslims, only Islam, he was not inciting hatred or discrimination.

Zurich: Teachers receive multilingual handbook

Zurich: Teachers receive multilingual handbook

Via SwissInfo:

Teachers in Zurich are to receive a language handbook with vocabulary and basic information about the 14 main immigrant languages to help ease communication.

With one in three students coming from foreign-language homes, the manual is designed to help in situations such as parent-teacher meetings as well as in German language classes.

Produced by Zurich’s University of Teacher Education, the handbook “Your language – my language” includes chapters on Albanian, Portuguese, Thai, Tamil and Turkish. The authors say it will, for example, prove useful in sorting out common grammatical mistakes that are linked to the students’ mother tongue.

(source)

Netherlands: D66 calls to scrap special status for faith-based schools

Netherlands: D66 calls to scrap special status for faith-based schools

Via Expatica:

The democrat party D66 wants to abolish the special legal status of faith-based schools in the Netherlands.

D66 MP Boris van der Ham says that the freedom of education guaranteed under the Dutch constitution has been stretched and is being used to cover up abuses. A spokesperson for D66 has confirmed Mr Van der Ham’s statements were in line with D66 policy, saying the party wants to modernise education laws.

(source)

France: Artist arrested for wearing flag burqa

France: Artist arrested for wearing flag burqa

Yohan, AKA 'Yo du Milieu', a French artist from Caen, was arrested Wednesday during a protest for 'insulting the flag' by wearing a flag burqa. At the protest Yohan played 'Nadine Amouk',a 'spokesperson for French Muslims, transsexuals and patriots'. He says he meant to humor, not insult, and that he wanted to challenge the anti-burqa law and lumping together Islamists and Muslims.

UK: 'Muslims are integrating better than many Christians'

UK: 'Muslims are integrating better than many Christians'

Via the Telegraph (h/t T&P):

Muslims are integrating better than many Christians, according to the head of the Government's equality watchdog

Trevor Phillips warned that "an old time religion incompatible with modern society" is driving the revival in the Anglican and Catholic Churches and clashing with mainstream views, especially on homosexuality.

He accused Christians, particularly evangelicals, of being more militant than Muslims in complaining about discrimination, arguing that many of the claims are motivated by a desire for greater political influence.

(source)

Germany: Salafist threat growing, interior ministers say

Germany: Salafist threat growing, interior ministers say

Via the Local:

German state interior ministers are warning of a rise in radical Salafist Islam that poses a risk of home-grown terrorism, with one politician calling for changes to residency laws so “hate preachers” can be more easily deported.

Hesse Interior Minister Boris Rhein of the conservative Christian Democratic Union told daily Die Welt that Salafism was a “centre and pivot for those who want to participate in so-called holy war.”

“Salafism can in this way lay the path to Islamist terrorism,” he said, adding that the law needed to be changed so that “hate preachers” can be more easily thrown out of the country.

UK: BBC film on Muhammad's life to comply with with Islamic tradition

UK: BBC film on Muhammad's life to comply with with Islamic tradition

Via the Independent (h/t London Muslim):

The BBC is to trace the journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad for a new series which is claimed to be a first for British television.

Al Jazeera reporter Rageh Omaar will present the three-part programme for BBC2, following in the prophet's footsteps from Mecca and along the journeys he took during his life.

To ensure the programmes are in line with Islamic tradition, they will not depict the face of Muhammad or feature dramatic reconstructions of his life.

(source)

Italy: First halal mozzarella

Italy: First halal mozzarella

Via ANSA:

Muslims can now feast on one of Italy's best-loved gastronomic delights, mozzarella, without any fear they are breaking Islamic Law.

For the first time a producer of the famous cheese from Campania, the La Baronia company based at Castel di Sasso near Caserta, has won certification that its mozzarella is halal - made in accordance with the dictums of Sharia. Italy's Zayd Ibn Thabit Islamic Culture Association and food-certification agency TUV gave the endorsement in an initiative promoted by the 'Consorzio di Tutela della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP', the consortium that ensures the cheese is made according to time-honoured tradition.

''This initiative is a sign of the attention companies and public institutions are devoting to religious miniroties,'' said Abdallah Massimo Cozzolino, an imam at Naples Mosque and the president of the Zayd Ibn Thabit Islamic Culture Association.

(source)

Oxford: Faith groups unite for peace walk

Oxford: Faith groups unite for peace walk

Via the BBC:

More than 700 people from 15 different faith groups have walked through the centre of Oxford to demonstrate their desire for peace and respect.

The walk took place on Tuesday evening, starting at the synagogue on Richmond Road in Jericho, passing the University Church and finishing at the mosque in Manzil Way.

Reverend Charlotte Bannister-Parker started the inter-faith walk seven years ago during the Iraq War.

(source)

Antwerp: Mosques propose stewards against football riots

Antwerp: Mosques propose stewards against football riots

Via De Standaard (Dutch):

Representatives of the 43 mosques of the Antwerp Mosque Consultative Body condemned the recent riots in Borgerhout after football matches. They say they're reaching out to the city council in order to better guide Moroccan youth and their parents. Mayor Patrick Janssens (sp.a) applauds the initiative.

Furthermore, Nordine Taouil, chairman of the Muslim council, proposes that in the future they will provide stewards that could intervene and mediate when there are problems with the police.

Netherlands: 74% support uni-culturalism

Netherlands: 74% support uni-culturalism

Via Trouw, Peil:

74% of the Dutch support the new government policy which says immigrants should conform to Dutch values, according to a Maurice de Hond poll. 18% support a policy which says everybody should keep their own culture. The breakdown by party: PVV (96%), VVD (91%) , CDA (87%), Socialists (65%), Labour (49%), D66(49%), Greens (44%)

UK: Mosques targeted in fake anthrax attacks

UK: Mosques targeted in fake anthrax attacks

Via the London Evening Standard:

MUSLIM leaders across London are on high alert after fake anthrax was posted to five mosques by suspected far-Right extremists.

Detectives from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command are investigating after imams at the mosques received bags of white powder.

Germany: Prosecutors deny '9/11-like' attack plan

Germany: Prosecutors deny '9/11-like' attack plan

Via the Washington Post:

Austrian authorities have arrested an alleged Islamic extremist suspected of belonging to a terrorist group, German prosecutors said Saturday.

(...)

But a spokesman for Germany’s Federal Prosecutors Office on Saturday dismissed a report alleging that one of the four suspected extremists was plotting to attack the country’s parliament in Berlin with a commercial airplane.

Brussels: Police claim they are forced to fast on Ramadan

Brussels: Police claim they are forced to fast on Ramadan
Via HLN (h/t Philosemitism):

Police agents in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek have to take part in the Ramadan: they may not eat or drink during the day and may not give tickets, internal police sources told Het Laatste Nieuws. This was confirmed by the NSPV police union. A spokesperson for the municipality denies the claims.

Bart Velle, head of NSPV for the Brussels municipalities, says that he's gotten multiple complaints on this issue, for several years now. There is no official memo on the topic. "I get complaints from colleagues about it, and I believe those people. But there's nothing on paper. I have no proof," says Velle.

Netherlands: Jews, Muslims appeal ritual slaughter plan

Netherlands: Jews, Muslims appeal ritual slaughter plan

Via AFP:

Jewish and Muslim representatives Thursday appealed to Dutch lawmakers not to enforce plans requiring animals to be stunned before halaal and kosher slaughtering rituals.

"We are against any form of stunning because it's against our religion," Yusuf Altuntas, president of the CMO -- an organisation that links the Muslim community with the Dutch government -- told a parliamentary commission.

(source)

Belgium: Teacher suspended for headscarf comments

Belgium: Teacher suspended for headscarf comments

Via Knack (Dutch):

An Islam teacher at the Royal Atheneum in Verviers was given a four month suspension for saying that girl who do not wear a headscarf live in sin.

The teacher made his comments during an RTBF broadcast on the place of Islam in school. After consulting the Muslim Executive, the French Community decided to suspend the teacher.

Netherlands: Gov't to abandon multiculturalism

Via Xinhua:

The Dutch government will abandon the model of a multicultural society.

In a letter to parliament on Thursday Minister Piet Hein Donner of Internal Affairs states that the Netherlands will start a new integration policy.

"The government shares the social discontent that exists on the multicultural society," read the letter published Friday. "In the new integration, the values of the Dutch society play a central role. With this change, the government steps away from the model of a multicultural society."

UK: Eton and The Ritz on al-Qaeda hit list

UK: Eton and The Ritz on al-Qaeda hit list

Via the Telegraph:

Eton College and The Ritz hotel were on a hit list of British targets found on the dead body of a senior al-Qaeda leader according to reports.

The high-profile targets were found on the body of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the network's commander in East Africa, after he was shot dead last week in Somalia.

Discovery of the list prompted security services to hold a summit with Government ministers and warn the school.

(source)

Germany: Sports Clubs Seek to Attract Young Muslim Women

Germany: Sports Clubs Seek to Attract Young Muslim Women

Sweden: Forced marriage to be banned?

Sweden: Forced marriage to be banned?

Via SR:

The government appointed investigator looking into forced marriage here in Sweden says he is considering proposing legislation to make it illegal. Yesterday, the Swedish government renewed guidelines for embassies abroad, making sure they pay special attention if they get calls for help from children who have been taken abroad to be married against their will. A recent survey suggests that over eight thousand children and teens here fear they may be at risk.

(source)

Mullah Krekar: I fight the West from my apartment in Oslo

Mullah Krekar: I fight the West from my apartment in Oslo

Via VG (1, 2):

In an interview to an Iraqi al-Qaeda channel, Mullah Krekar spoke of his life and activities in Norway. The interview was published June 10th, and was posted on various Jihadist websites.

Krekar explained that he participates in the battle against the West from his Oslo apartment. He also uses the opportunity to complain about life in Norway.

Hamburg: Wind-turbines planned in mosque minarets

Hamburg: Wind-turbines planned in mosque minarets

(picture)

Frankfurt: Police officer identified as hate preacher

Frankfurt: Police officer identified as hate preacher

(Roman R. as a police officer, and as a salafist preacher)

UK: Sharia-compliant pension fund launched

UK: Sharia-compliant pension fund launched

Via the Independent (h/t Shariah Finance Watch):

The first Sharia-compliant pension fund has been launched in the UK.

The fund which does not invest in companies that trade in guns, alcohol, gambling, tobacco or pornography, nor does it receive interest, has been launched by Pointon York and the Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB).

Investors will be able to save in a self-invest personal pension and choose from a range of Sharia-compliant assets. These could include cash, funds and property.

(source)

Kuwait: Political activist suggests using Russian POWs as sex-slaves

Kuwait: Political activist suggests using Russian POWs as sex-slaves

Imagine the outrageous outrage if anybody in a Western country suggested using Muslim POWs as sex-slaves.

Via MemriTV (clip here):

There are countries like Chechnya, which are at war with another country. In such a case, there must be POWs, so why not go and buy those prisoners? Is it better for them to be slaughtered over there? Go and buy them, and sell them to traders here in Kuwait.

Sweden: Parental benefits 'trap' immigrant women at home

Sweden: Parental benefits 'trap' immigrant women at home

Via the Local:

Less parental leave for those who have just arrived in Sweden with kids will help getting immigrant women out on the labour market, according to two Swedish experts.

“This report points to a very real problem and may offer part of an explanation of why it takes so long to get out on the labour market,” Minister for Integration, Erik Ullenhaag said to daily Dagens Nyheter (DN).

Tony Blair: The Qur'an is immensely instructive

Tony Blair: The Qur'an is immensely instructive

Via Observer Magazine:

To be faith-literate is crucial in a globalised world, I believe. I read the Bible every day. I read the Qur'an every day. Partly to understand some of the things happening in the world, but mainly just because it is immensely instructive.

(source)

Bulgaria: Muslims Say Bulgaria Plagued with Islamophobia, Vow to Defend Themselves

Bulgaria: Muslims Say Bulgaria Plagued with Islamophobia, Vow to Defend Themselves

Via Sofia News Agency:

Part of the Bulgarian society is plagued with islamophobia, the Bulgarian Chief Mufti's Office has declared in a special statement urging the Bulgarian Muslims to take measures to defend themselves against attacks.

Sofia: Mosque guard attacked by masked men

Sofia: Mosque guard attacked by masked men

Via the Sofia Echo:

Sofia's Muslim community again came under attack on June 12 2011 in an incident at the historic Banya Bashi mosque in the centre of the Bulgarian capital city.

Masked individuals stormed inside the mosque and viciously assaulted the guard of the mosque. Leaving him in a pool of blood, they then vandalised the security box, then venturing inside the house of worship.

This latest act of desecration has escalated tensions after a previous attack on the mosque on May 20.

(source)

Oslo: Disagreement between Jewish community and Islamic Council over religious racism report

Oslo: Disagreement between Jewish community and Islamic Council over religious racism report

A recent study mapping out religious racism in Oslo schools, grades 8-10, shows that Jews are harassed much more than other groups. 33.3% of Jewish students said they were harassed more than once a month because of their religion, compared with 9.9% of Buddhists and 5.3% of Muslims. The average was 3.5%.

62% of the students said that students called each other 'Jew' at their school. 51.5% said they heard the word 'Jew' used to describe something negative, 40.9% heard jokes about Jews, 35.2% said they heard negative comments about Jews, and 4.7% said they heard other students say that Jews weren't exterminated during WWII.

Denmark: DPP politician retracts Nazi-Muslim comparison

Denmark: DPP politician retracts Nazi-Muslim comparison

(h/t Tundra Tabloids)

London: Police accused of covering up for sharia police

London: Police accused of covering up for sharia police

Via the Telegraph:

Police have been accused of “covering up” a campaign of abuse, threats and violence aimed at “Islamicising” an area of London.

Victims say that officers in the borough of Tower Hamlets have ignored or downplayed outbreaks of hate crime, and suppressed evidence implicating Muslims in them, because they fear being accused of racism.

France: French couple in UK in legal challenge to veil ban

France: French couple in UK in legal challenge to veil ban

Via AFP:

A French Muslim husband and wife living in Britain are to challenge France's ban on full-face coverings at the European Court of Human Rights, their lawyer said on Thursday.

The couple lodged an application at the Strasbourg court to challenge the French government over the ban on wearing Islamic veils, which they argue is "unnecessary, disproportionate and unlawful."

They claim it restricts their right to free movement across the EU, according to documents sent to the court. The wife is seeking £10,000 (11,200 euros, $16,400) in damages for the alleged human rights breach.

(source)

Russia: Muftis to serve in army

Russia: Muftis to serve in army

Via RT:

Muslim muftis will soon be sent to the Russian Army for spiritual guidance of Muslim servicemen, according to Russia’s Supreme Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin. Currently, only Orthodox priests are present among Army staff.

­In an interview to the Echo of Moscow radio station, the Supreme Mufti said that the Russian Muslim University has launched a special course for priests who will work in the Army.

Soon, around a dozen Muslim priests will start their jobs in various military units. But this is only the beginning as more will follow. The work in the Army requires some special skills so this category of clergy should have specific training, Tadzhuddin explained.

(source)

Surrey: Police Muslim group aims to build trust

Surrey: Police Muslim group aims to build trust

Naser Khader: I feel more distanced from Islam (Update: Considers converting)

Naser Khader: I feel more distanced from Islam

Via Kristeligt Dagblad, BT (Danish):

Last Sunday, Danish Constitution Day, Naser Khader (Conservatives) spoke at the Maarum Church in North Zealand. This despite various criticisms based on his Muslim background. Khader used the opportunity to speak of his personal dilemma between Islam and Christianity.

The entire speech is available in Danish here, I bring just the beginning, which deals directly with his feelings towards Islam.

Dagestan: Anti-extremist theology professor gunned down

Dagestan: Anti-extremist theology professor gunned down

Via RIA Novosti:

The rector of a theology institute in Russia's mainly-Muslim Dagestan republic was shot by unknown assailants near his home on Tuesday, local police said.

Rector Maksud Ibnugadzharovich Sadikov was one of the founders of the first academic institutions in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region to offer both secular and religious teachings.

(...)

Sadikov had been rector of the Institute of Theology and International Relations in Dagestani capital Makhachkala since 2003 and tried to promote education as the greatest weapon in the fight against religious extremism.

(source)

Germany: Head of Coptic Church warns Germans must act against Islamization

Germany: Head of Coptic Church warns Germans must act against Islamization

In a recent interview Bishop Damian, head of Coptic Church in Germany, told the Initiative1683 site that Christians in Germany must act if they don't want to face the same problems they do in Egypt. The full interview is available here in German.

Bishop's Conference: Europe can give birth to apolitical Islam

Bishop's Conference: Europe can give birth to apolitical Islam

Via CCEE:

2nd meeting of Bishops’ Conference delegates for relations with Muslims in Europe - Turin, Italy, 31 May – 2 June 2011

At the end of their meeting, the delegates from the Bishops’ Conferences noted particularly the process underway in Europe which can encourage the birth of an Islam more purely and typically religious than political; they expressed their sympathy for the desire for democracy and freedom of many peoples from different Arab nations, hoping that this wind of change may also lead to the realisation of true religious freedom in these countries; and, finally, expressing a critical assessment of the term “Islamophobia”, they exhorted Muslims to develop positive and sincere relations in the various contexts in which they find themselves in Europe.

Malmö: Muslims want to learn more about the Holocaust

Malmö: Muslims want to learn more about the Holocaust

Spain: 'Islam' band posts musical death-threat against journalist

Spain: 'Islam' band posts musical death-threat against journalist

Germany: Police say foiled forced-marriage kidnap bid

Germany: Police say foiled forced-marriage kidnap bid

Via AFP:

German police said Tuesday they had foiled a bid by two Turks to kidnap a 17-year-old girl for a forced marriage in Turkey.

The attempted abduction of the French teenager of Turkish origin, from Sarregumines, in eastern France, took place on Sunday, just across the German border, in Saarbruecken, police said.

(source)

Norway: Taliban invited over for peace talks

Norway: Taliban invited over for peace talks

Via VG (Norwegian):

Burhanuddin Rabbani, former Afghan president and chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council, told BBC Persian Sunday that Norway had invested large amounts of money and had invited Taliban delegations to Norway several times recently for talks.

Nine Norwegian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, most of them by the Taliban. UN envoy Siri Skare was also killed in a Taliban attack.

UK: MPAC upset over BBC Mecca joke

UK: MPAC upset over BBC Mecca joke

UK: Report warns of 'new generation' Islamic militants radicalised in back streets

UK: Report warns of 'new generation' Islamic militants radicalised in back streets

Via the Telegraph:

A new report shows that the success of anti-radicalisation measures in many of Britain's mosques has pushed militants underground, making them harder to detect by both community leaders and police.

Feeding the process are jailed militants, such as Abu Hamza, who is still exerting an influence from his prison cell on impressionable Muslim youngsters susceptible to his violently anti-Western rhetoric.

Details of the report emerged ahead of imminent release of a key government review of its counter-terrorism strategy, expected this month.

(source)

Switzerland: Immigrant women unprotected, group charges

Switzerland: Immigrant women unprotected, group charges

Via WRS:

Immigrant women in Switzerland suffering from domestic violence often lack protection, according to a report issued by the Swiss Centre for Asylum and Immigration Law.

Women frequently stick with their abusive partner because they fear having to return to their home country, the report says.

(source)

Sweden: Newspaper celebrates multiculturalism by Photoshopping flag on minaret

Sweden: Newspaper celebrates multiculturalism by Photoshopping flag on minaret

In an editorial on integration on Sweden's National Day, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet Photoshopped a Swedish flag on the minaret of Grand Mosque of Malmö, which is owned by the Libyan organization World Islamic Call Society. (h/t Muslimska friskolan).

See here for more on the editorial in English.

Denmark: Parliamentary candidates campaigning in Arabic

Denmark: Parliamentary candidates campaigning in Arabic

Al-Qaeda: New video calls for lone-wolf attacks

Al-Qaeda: New video calls for lone-wolf attacks


The video mentions Mohammed Bouyeri, who killed Theo Van Gogh, as an example of a successful attack to be emulated.

Paris: Kurds clash with police after PKK arrests

Paris: Kurds clash with police after PKK arrests

Via RFI:

Police clashed with Kurds in a town near Paris on Saturday night after the arrest of five people, some of whom officials claim are leading members of Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). Several hundred Kurds were on the streets of Evry in a further protest on Sunday afternoon.

(source)

UK: Women's group launches 'Jihad against violence'

UK: Women's group launches 'Jihad against violence'

Sofia: Mosque takes measures against noise levels and traffic obstruction

Sofia: Mosque takes measures against noise levels and traffic obstruction

Via the Sofia Echo:

The Sofia mosque will reduce noise levels during Friday prayers from now on, so that it does disturb the surrounding community, the Muslim leadership announced on June 2 2011, reported by the private television channel bTV.

Two of the loudspeakers have been dismounted completely while the others will be turned down. The statement was made during a meeting between Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the chief mufti, Mustafa Hadji, the report said.

The chief mufti also promised that those worshippers who cannot find find room in the mosque during the Friday prayers will no longer be allowed to pray on pavements outside the temple, a bone of contention in the past.

(source)

US: Farah sets European record in 10,000m

US: Farah sets European record in 10,000m

Helsinki: Jihadists claim responsibility for bomb

Helsinki: Jihadists claim responsibility for bomb

Update: more in English here.

Via Helsingin Sanomat (h/t Tundra Tabloids):

Jihadi websites are claiming responsibility for a bomb defused in Helsinki Friday morning. A message in Arabic and Finnish signed by 'Abu Suleiman Al Nasser and supporters of the Global Jihad' says they placed the bomb and hopes they'll be more successful next time.

Antwerp: Rioting following Morocco - Algeria match

Antwerp: Rioting following Morocco - Algeria match

Via VRT:

The Antwerp suburb of Borgerhout was the scene of rioting by immigrant youngsters last night following a soccer match between Morocco and Algeria.

A large group of youngsters gathered and started hurling stones. One youngster even threw a petrol bomb. Some thirty youths were detained. Four were arrested on vandalism charges.

Antwerp police say that video pictures will be used to identify other vandals.

There were disturbances at the Kiel, but the atmosphere turned most nasty in Borgerhout where two hundred youngsters had massed. Stones rained on the police and several vehicles were damaged.

(source)

Germany: Islam necessary to develop vibrant society, says president

Germany: Islam necessary to develop vibrant society, says president

Via ENInews:

Islam is part of a modern, changing Germany and necessary to develop a vibrant society, President Christian Wulff said in a panel discussion on 2 June at the ecumenical gathering called the Kirchentag.

Christians should also be more tolerant towards other religions, Wulff said. "If one is not open to other religions, one cannot expect Muslim societies to be receptive to freedom of religion." He then went on to appeal to Turkey to do more for religious freedom.

(source)

Spain: Islamic Board criticizes the persecution of Christians and Jews in the Muslim world

Spain: Islamic Board criticizes the persecution of Christians and Jews in the Muslim world

Via La Razón (Spanish, h/t Webislam):

The Spanish Islamic Board (Junta Islámica de España) has come out against the persecution and inequality suffered by religious minorities in the Arab world and other Islamic countries, and called to respect minorities, especially when it comes to Christians and Jews.

The Islamic Board demands that all Muslim and Muslim governments act in accordance with the principles of Islam, which advocates social peace, respect and recognition of your fellow's religious beliefs, even more when it comes to Christians and Jews, which the Koran sees as religions of the Book.

Odense: 'The Vollsmose Outlaws rule here'

Odense: 'The Vollsmose Outlaws rule here'

Ukraine: 'Sharia killing' might have been deranged stalker

Ukraine: 'Sharia killing' might have been deranged stalker

Via the Daily Mail:

At first it appeared that she had been stoned to death for disobeying Sharia law.

But glamorous Muslim beauty queen Katya Koren may actually have been battered with a rock by a crazed stalker after she spurned his advances.

Moscow: 'Cultural misunderstanding' led to riots

Moscow: 'Cultural misunderstanding' led to riots

Via RT:

Investigators say the murder of Spartak fan Egor Sviridov, which led to mass riots on Moscow’s central square in December 2010, was spurred by a "cultural misunderstanding" rather than ethnic hatred.

The deadly street fight involved five young men from Russia’s southern republics on one side and Sviridov, 28, and a few of his friends on the other.

(...)

Thus, the investigation concluded, the youth from the Caucasus “made trouble for nothing,” which could have been motivated by a "cultural misunderstanding," investigators said. Now the criminals will face prosecution – the case was submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office and the trial will soon follow.

(source)

Estonia: Muslims urge freedom for Lebanon kidnap victims

Estonia: Muslims urge freedom for Lebanon kidnap victims

Canary Islands: Moroccan arrested for 'recruiting children for terrorism'

Canary Islands: Moroccan arrested for 'recruiting children for terrorism'

Via AFP:

Police in Spain's Canary Islands Wednesday arrested a Moroccan suspected of "recruiting children for terrorist purposes", the interior ministry said.

Imad El Mouahhid, 25, also had "links with members of terrorist organisations currently serving sentences in Morocco," it said in a statement.

(source)

Latvia: Koran translated into Latvian

Latvia: Koran translated into Latvian

Via the Baltic Times:

Popular Latvian composer and politician Imants Kalnins has published the first Latvian translation of the Koran.

Kalnins had been working on translating the Koran from Arabic for many years. The first Latvian-language version of the book was officially launched on May 31.

(source)

Latvija Avize interviewed famous Latvian composer Imants Kalnins, who recently translated Koran into the Latvian language. Mr. Kalnins believes that Latvians should familiarize themselves with the Koran in order to form their own opinion. (source)

Le Pen: I'm fighting Islamisation, not Islam

Le Pen: I'm fighting Islamisation, not Islam

Via RNW:

In an interview with national Dutch radio, leader of the French right-wing National Front Marine Le Pen has said that, unlike Geert Wilders, she is “not waging war against Islam”, but is fighting the Islamisation of French society.

(...)

“That’s the difference between Geert Wilders and me. He reads the Qur’an literally: you can’t interpret the Qur’an – or indeed the Bible – literally. I resist fundamentalists who want to impose their will and law on France. Sharia Law is not compatible with our principles, our values or democracy,” Ms Le Pen asserted on Radio1 in the interview with reporter Frank Renout.

(source)

Netherlands: Final remarks of Geert Wilders at his trial

Netherlands: Final remarks of Geert Wilders at his trial

Via Geert Wilder's site:

I am here because of what I have said. I am here for having spoken. I have spoken, I speak and I shall continue to speak. Many have kept silent, but not Pim Fortuyn, not Theo Van Gogh, and not I.

I am obliged to speak. For the Netherlands is under threat of Islam. As I have argued many times, Islam is chiefly an ideology. An ideology of hatred, of destruction, of conquest. It is my strong conviction that Islam is a threat to Western values, to freedom of speech, to the equality of men and women, of heterosexuals and homosexuals, of believers and unbelievers.

(source)

Denmark: Islam critic attacked, gets death threats

Denmark: Islam critic attacked, gets death threats

Via Kristeligt Dagblad (Danish):

A 79 year old former church pastor in Denmark, a critic of Islam and author, has been beaten and threatened four time by young men of Muslim background over the past 6 years. Since he was asked by the police to keep a low profile, he doesn't want his name published. He's refused police protection, because 'you can't live like a free man that way', he told Kristeligt Dagblad.